1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus and method for removing liquid from a moist material using simultaneous electric, acoustic and mechanical field forces.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is known to remove water or other liquids from a suspension utilizing electrical fields and acoustical fields, (e.g. ultrasonic fields) to enhance the solid-liquid separation. Such processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,561,953 and 4,747,920 which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. In the processes disclosed by these U.S. patents the electrical fields contribute to the removal of liquids by a process known as electro-osmosis.
Nevertheless, before the present invention, a practical and successful way to simultaneously employ electro-osmotic and acoustic and mechanical solid-liquid separation techniques in a continuous process has not been known.